Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Just picked up a new Honda 1132 TAS and I am having a problem with the carb/engine. It seems as though there is only a slight defference between the slow throttle setting and the fast setting. I took the carb cover off and the throttle linkage is moving fine although it will not stay in the upper most fast setting unless I hold it there with the throttle lever so I adjusted(tightened) the locknut on the throttle lever and that seemed to help alot to hold it at fast idle BUT the locknut will keep loosening up as you use the throttle from slow to fast...Also the fast idle surges up and down and as I mentioned the slow and fast difference is not that great, example: As I move the throttle lever slowly from slow to fast there is no noticeable difference(no variable speed of the engine) until I get to fast and even that seems just a bit more than slow, I think possibly the slow idle setting is set too high..This is too bad especially on a new HONDA 3000.00 machine. Anyone have any thoughts?.. I also should mention that I still own my HS828 tracked Honda and the throttle control on that works like a charm from really low to high and anywhere in between.

Paul7 wrote:

There has not been a determination that anything broke, just the described symptoms have been presented and probable failures and diagnostic methods were suggested.

It is possible any snowblower will break, regardless of the brand.  Hondas are not immune to failures, regardless of any expectations.

I was being sarcastic.  Sorry about that.

GOT IT FIXED..I found the 6MM locknut that holds the plastic throttle lever on the control panel was total junk allowing the throttle linkage to barely move at the carb and everytime I would tighten it it would loosen up (unscrew) with only three movements of  the throttle lever. I replaced the 6MM locknut with a 6MM nylok locknut nut and bingo it stays in full throttle now and anywhere in between it was slipping badly with the original broken locknut. Full throttle does still surge or hunt a little bit though so I will be contacting the dealer  for that but it is very minor and I'm not sure if it will do that under a load (I will find out today another 8" of snow) my guess is probably not. Anyway I will be letting the dealer know about the locknut issue and possibly Honda I'm not sure how Honda or the dealer did not catch that seeing that the throttle control did absolutely nothing when I first fired it up. Now I'm ready to see how the 1132 compares to my 12 year old HS828TS.

Forgot to mention that Honda parts wanted $4.50 plus $4.00 shipping for the locknut and I paid .50 from my local hardware store..not bad

zekeman wrote:
Isn't amazing how much they charge for these little things?  I ordered the shear pins on line but I am getting the 6mm locknut for the shear pin from local hardware store. 

aa335 wrote:

Dealerships gouge big time when it comes to parts.  That's where the gold is.   Mark up is out of this world.  Five hundred to 1000 percent is not uncommon.   For instance, that nylock nut can be bought for as cheaply as ten to fifteen cents.    They sell if for $4.50.   At ten cents, that reflects a mark up of four thousand five hundred percent (4500%).   That's nuts!     I refuse to buy parts from a dealership that can be obtained somewhere else.  It's like throwing money out the window.  Even belts are unnecessarily expensive at a dealer.  I take my old belt to a bearing supply outlet, tell them what the belt is used for and they sell me a replacement for one fourth the cost at a dealership.  I thoroughly understand that a dealer has to make a buck, but $4.50 for a single lock nut?  Please...  It's examples like that which dealerships should be embarrassed to try to pull off.  It's gouging at it's extreme.  I had to buy three 5 mm stainless steel screws for one of my bikes the other day.  I went to my usual Fastenal dealer and they just gave them to me.  No charge.  They do that every time I go in for one or two fasteners.  As much as I appreciate their generosity. I leave them a buck for the screws just the same.   Mark up on parts is hideous at a dealership. 

mech12 wrote:

I could understand (maybe) your charging him for the carb assembly repair.  However, if you determined that the machine was a-ok in all repects after that, voiding his warranty is not called for.Is your business so successful that you can treat customers this way?

The guy would have gotten better treatment at Sears!

Marc

borat wrote:

I understand they have to make a buck or two to stay in business, but this is not making money, it's robbery.   The other day, I went in the dealership to purchase skid shoes.  After being passed on from the snowblower sales guy to the parts sales guy, I was quoted $50 for a pair of skid shoes.  I asked "That much for skid shoes???"  He said yes with a straight face.  Then I asked, " Does that include sales tax?".  He said "No, with tax it comes out to $55."  I politely thanked him for his time looking up the parts but I I will pass.  After minute tooling behind the computer, he comes back and said "That also includes all the hardware" as if he was giving me the deal of the century.  I guess it would be a bargain if he had charged me $6 for each one of those 8mm bolts and washers.  Again, I politely thanked him but declined. 

Just a week before going to the dealership, I called this same dealership and asked about the same part for price and availability, I was quoted $43.  I found online for $39 but have to pay for shipping.  So with tax buying locally, it was about the a buck or two difference.  Somehow a week later and showing up in person to pick it up, the price jumped $7 from $43 to $50.  Amazing!  I felt like the guy behind the parts counter was making up any price and if I was willing to pay, it is good for him.

This sort of things is probably why we are such a disposable society.  It costs to much to go to dealership to find parts and service things ourselves.  Just buy a new one every few years and not deal with the headaches of looking for parts and getting ripped off.

I'm all for supporting my local business and the sales tax goes to my town, but when have to hand them my shirt to keep them in business, I go elsewhere.

mml4 wrote:

The customer was not  treated fairly.  He got a lesson by paying through the nose and left a bitter taste in his mouth.  I doubt this would bring repeated business. 

Here's a tip to save money on skids. 

Go to a scrap yard and buy 14" of  1" x 1/4" flat bar.  The harder the better.  Cut it in half and bend the ends up slightly.  Take the shaped pieces of flat bar and the skids off of your snow thrower and go to a welding shop.  Have them weld the flat bar to the bottom of the skid just shy of being flush with the mounting side.  Clean them up and paint them if you want then attach to your machine.  You should be set for at least twenty years depending on hardness of the steel plate.    Welding might cost you $30.00 at a shop if you're paying for it.